Level Four Advisory Services LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI)

Level Four Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE:GPI) by 15.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,860 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 507 shares during the quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Group 1 Automotive were worth $1,627,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in GPI. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 25.6% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 152 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Group 1 Automotive by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 346 shares of the company’s stock worth $146,000 after buying an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 20.0% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 264 shares of the company’s stock valued at $101,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 622 shares of the company’s stock valued at $262,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Group 1 Automotive by 70.4% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 121 shares of the company’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. 99.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Group 1 Automotive Stock Down 4.3 %

Shares of GPI opened at $376.32 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $442.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $413.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. The company has a market capitalization of $4.98 billion, a PE ratio of 10.24 and a beta of 1.33. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. has a 52-week low of $262.31 and a 52-week high of $490.09.

Group 1 Automotive (NYSE:GPI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The company reported $10.02 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.77 by $1.25. Group 1 Automotive had a net margin of 2.47% and a return on equity of 18.09%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will post 41 EPS for the current year.

Group 1 Automotive Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This is a boost from Group 1 Automotive’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.47. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.53%. Group 1 Automotive’s dividend payout ratio is currently 5.44%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on GPI. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $460.00 price objective on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Group 1 Automotive in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $500.00 target price for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Group 1 Automotive from $495.00 to $435.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Group 1 Automotive currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $450.33.

About Group 1 Automotive

Group 1 Automotive, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates in the automotive retail industry in the United States and the United Kingdom. The company sells new and used cars, light trucks, and vehicle parts, as well as service and insurance contracts; arranges related vehicle financing; and offers automotive maintenance and repair services.